Kenneth Creech
Kenneth Creech has been an avid reader of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi books since childhood, when he realized that he could become so captivated by a story that he would read it in one sitting. Since then, he read nearly every day, often jumping between multiple stories in order to prolong his time with the characters. Kenneth has explored the lives of the monsters that lurk in the shadows and braved the deepest reaches of outerspace and the imagination, which have inspired his writing.
After he earned a bachelor's and master's degree in Sociology he began working in higher education, helping students find their passion in education and life. In 2011, his life began on a new journey when he finally pursued one of his own passions, writing the type of novel he would have wanted to read as a teen. Awakened was the end result of that process, which began as a very part-time hobby until he decided he needed to finally finish what he'd started. Once Awakened was complete, his characters still had more to say, and the process of writing Challenged began. Despite finishing the duology, the characters from the pages still have more to say, so who knows what the future holds for Caleb, Adam, Gabriel and the rest of the Awakened.
As an admitted people watcher, Kenneth also has the sometimes annoying habit of imagining what is going on in the lives and minds of the strangers around him, which has also been a source of some of this short stories and other writing. When not working on his own stories, Kenneth also helps other writers edit their works in progress, getting them polished and ready for the world to read.
Kenneth currently lives in Arizona. Awakened and Challenged are his first and second books respectively.
After he earned a bachelor's and master's degree in Sociology he began working in higher education, helping students find their passion in education and life. In 2011, his life began on a new journey when he finally pursued one of his own passions, writing the type of novel he would have wanted to read as a teen. Awakened was the end result of that process, which began as a very part-time hobby until he decided he needed to finally finish what he'd started. Once Awakened was complete, his characters still had more to say, and the process of writing Challenged began. Despite finishing the duology, the characters from the pages still have more to say, so who knows what the future holds for Caleb, Adam, Gabriel and the rest of the Awakened.
As an admitted people watcher, Kenneth also has the sometimes annoying habit of imagining what is going on in the lives and minds of the strangers around him, which has also been a source of some of this short stories and other writing. When not working on his own stories, Kenneth also helps other writers edit their works in progress, getting them polished and ready for the world to read.
Kenneth currently lives in Arizona. Awakened and Challenged are his first and second books respectively.
LGBTQ Characters in Books
From my perspective
Before I get into my thoughts on books, here is a little more about my experience with LGBT Issues:
While in high school, I helped to create the first Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in the district and went on to become the President of the GSA at my university during my undergraduate studies as well. LGBT issues have been important to me since coming out at 16 when I realized things could be better, but only if I worked to change the status quo.
After graduating with my master's degree, I began teaching Sociology at a community college near my hometown, and after my first semester there, I became active in the LGBT community within the district. I took over as the faculty advisor for the GSA and helped it become one of the largest and most active student-run organizations on the campus. I have spent countless hours working with students in various locations as an advisor, mentor, and friend, helping them to find their place and acceptance in the world around them.
During all of the academic work I have done, I continued to read like a crazy person, sometimes as many as four or five books at a time, but what I found was that books about gay characters, are sometimes hard to find. Especially positive books about young gay characters. If you leave the genre of "gay books" they almost completely disappear. Then a couple of years ago, I noticed that slowly, LGBTQ characters were making quiet appearances in some "non-gay" books, but always in the background. They were sometimes helpful, sometimes smart, but almost always stereotypical, and often seen as overbearing or annoying. I'm not saying gay people aren't those things, but to show them in only one way, seemed a little disingenuous to me. That is when the idea for Awakened came to me. I wanted to write a book that didn't necessarily fall into the "gay only" genre, but rather, a book, with a gay main character, that was about the struggles he is facing. He is comfortable in his skin and knows exactly who he is (at least in terms of his sexual orientation), so it becomes a non-issue.
Awakened is not a "Coming Out" book that deals with sexual orientation, and it isn't a book about struggling to find support and acceptance for being LGBTQ. Instead, it's a book about a guy, who happens to be gay, and how he responds to the unbelievable discovery that he isn't exactly what he thought he was...human.
While in high school, I helped to create the first Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in the district and went on to become the President of the GSA at my university during my undergraduate studies as well. LGBT issues have been important to me since coming out at 16 when I realized things could be better, but only if I worked to change the status quo.
After graduating with my master's degree, I began teaching Sociology at a community college near my hometown, and after my first semester there, I became active in the LGBT community within the district. I took over as the faculty advisor for the GSA and helped it become one of the largest and most active student-run organizations on the campus. I have spent countless hours working with students in various locations as an advisor, mentor, and friend, helping them to find their place and acceptance in the world around them.
During all of the academic work I have done, I continued to read like a crazy person, sometimes as many as four or five books at a time, but what I found was that books about gay characters, are sometimes hard to find. Especially positive books about young gay characters. If you leave the genre of "gay books" they almost completely disappear. Then a couple of years ago, I noticed that slowly, LGBTQ characters were making quiet appearances in some "non-gay" books, but always in the background. They were sometimes helpful, sometimes smart, but almost always stereotypical, and often seen as overbearing or annoying. I'm not saying gay people aren't those things, but to show them in only one way, seemed a little disingenuous to me. That is when the idea for Awakened came to me. I wanted to write a book that didn't necessarily fall into the "gay only" genre, but rather, a book, with a gay main character, that was about the struggles he is facing. He is comfortable in his skin and knows exactly who he is (at least in terms of his sexual orientation), so it becomes a non-issue.
Awakened is not a "Coming Out" book that deals with sexual orientation, and it isn't a book about struggling to find support and acceptance for being LGBTQ. Instead, it's a book about a guy, who happens to be gay, and how he responds to the unbelievable discovery that he isn't exactly what he thought he was...human.
